Director-duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have joined forces yet again with the recent release of “Project Hail Mary,” starring Ryan Gosling as the main character, Dr. Ryland Grace.
Lord and Miller are famous for directing films such as “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “The Lego Movie,” “21 Jump Street” and “22 Jump Street." They are also credited for being writers for both “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."
With a resume like that, Lord and Miller are a standout filmmaker duo in Hollywood. “Project Hail Mary” is Lord and Miller’s sixth film that they have directed together, including their uncredited work for “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
They are underappreciated as filmmakers, and they have an exceptional talent for writing and directing movies that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. “Project Hail Mary” fits this well, as it harkens to films of the 1980s and 1990s produced by Amblin Entertainment.
The film tells the story of a scientist turned teacher named Ryland Grace, who wakes up with amnesia aboard a spacecraft. Over the course of the movie, Grace eventually gains his memory back and understands the situation he is in.
His mission is to figure out why the sun is slowly burning out, along with the help of an alien lifeform he names Rocky. This forges a story of bravery, scientific discovery and companionship with an unlikely source.
Gosling as the lead may seem like an interesting choice when only considering his work in “The Notebook,” “Drive” and “La La Land.” He’s the kind of actor a director would want for a modern movie star.
He’s able to pull off being a handsome guy who’s brooding and mysterious while also portraying a character that is the exact opposite. His roles in “Lars and the Real Girl” and “The Nice Guys” complement this.
Gosling, Brad Pitt and others are in the same category of actors: attractive men who were able to escape the pretty boy archetype. He’s someone who was never given the proper respect he deserved. Adding to that, this role is also one of Gosling’s funnier parts alongside P.I. Holland March in “The Nice Guys.”
As previously mentioned, Rocky is the unlikely ally Grace befriends and names due to its rock-like body. Through the use of a computer and communication skills, Rocky is able to speak to Grace. That voice is provided by actor James Ortiz.
Ortiz and Gosling have a wonderful and light-hearted chemistry in the film. Their relationship is less like a man and his pet dog but more like the one formed between Elliott and E.T. in Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” Which is, you guessed it, a film produced by Amblin Entertainment.
On that topic, “Project Hail Mary” is terrific when it comes to capturing the awe and wonder of a film similar to “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” or, another Spielberg work, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
For most of its runtime, the film is mainly a space exploration story filled with good humor between Grace and Rocky. However, it does have some impactful moments that bring it to a level of maturity that other movies fail at doing.
With that being said, nearly every film has its faults, and “Project Hail Mary” is no different. The biggest critique that can be given about it is that at certain moments the film looks a little ugly in terms of its cinematography. These scenes are ones that take place on Earth, not in space.
The good thing is that most of the film takes place in space, so this isn’t as big of a complaint as perhaps it’s made out to be.
“Project Hail Mary” is exactly what Hollywood needs right now. More movies that are capable of attracting children and adults are something that much of what comes out today doesn’t replicate.
Rating: 4/5
